LABEL THIS. LABEL THAT.

Has it occurred to you that the new obsession with labeling people to condemn them or laud them for ideas has escalated due to internet technology's basic algorithmic structure? Tags are labels, for instance. Profile names, those made up to hide behind a veil of anonymity, are also labels. So choosing an anonymous identity in the world of I.T. means choosing a self-imposed label. Icons representing people are labels. And so on.

Virtue-signalling involves self-labeling. "Proud Mom", "Speaker of Truth", "Anti-Fascist", "Humanist", "Christian", "Muslim" etc.. These are common fare in social media bio's. Is there any reason to be surprised that we are developing into a culture of fractious sub-identities?

Before the Digital Age, it would be a symptom of mental illness to enter a social conversation by saying, with outstretched hand, "My name is Clive. I am a vegan Rastafarian and this is my husband, Phil. We are proud transgender men and are into group sex." Now, via social media, this type of self-introduction is common parlance. Back in the day, even the most worldly homosexual might well have reeled back and quipped, "T.M.I., Mary!".

Where is all the hypersensitivity over identity coming from? Perhaps the pressure of social media to be constantly self-revealing and self-labeling to strangers has triggered this. This age has promoted digital exhibitionism while also promoting dark anonymity, which means increased vulnerability for those who expose themselves to the light. Are we all experiencing constant subconscious ambivalence with its accompanying free-floating anxiety?

My ambivalence about all this was quite conscious. A couple of years ago I made the decision to no longer use fake identities on line. My several blogs, which had been published over the years with contrived titles, now simply appear under Paul Creeden Archived. I have subscribed to services with my real name and photo for some time. I have stopped using comment sign-ins with pseudonyms. It feels good. 

I now post my ideas with a full sense of accountability. My tendency to overreact in response to outrageous news has been modified, but not cured. I want to be able to stand behind what I post. Do I ever wonder about the random lunatic who could take exception to what I post? Of course I do. But I know well that random lunatics are everywhere and can react badly to just about anything.

By avoiding narrowing labels, I feel I am increasing my ability to be heard by a wider range of people. I also know that I am less likely to shove myself into a pigeon hole of conformity to the ideas of one group. I see too much of that happening everywhere, even among the intellectual elite.

I am human. I read. I think. I write. I converse. I have my own opinions. My opinions can change with evidence, reflection and meditation. I do not need to label myself to feel secure. I do not need to conform to anyone's label applied to me.